ThE gAmE
by AngelOfDiamonds
Summary: Kagome gets kidnapped! Inu-Yasha has to make a choice! Who is this Iyo person? Naraku has a WHAT?!?! And now everyone is dead?!?! What's going on here? ::read and find out:: **please R/R,this is my first story**pairs IY/Kag
1. 1

THE GAME  
  
The Start  
  
The sun was setting on another brilliantly sunny day and the sky was starting to slur with the many colors of the rainbow. Hundreds of buildings stood high against the horizon as Kagome rushed out of the house with a shoe still grasped tightly in her hand.  
  
"I'm leaving, now! See ya' in about a week! Boy is Inu-Yasha going to be made at me. I said I'd be back before sunset."  
  
She ran while stumbling to put on her right shoe and carrying an over stuffed nap-sack. In the mists of all this she half jumped, half fell down the well (that is used as a median between there two times).  
  
"You're late you know?" said a young boys voice from above her. She knew that it wasn't Inu-Yasha because it wasn't yelling at her. Which was all he pretty much did. Except for those few moments when he seemed to become a totally different person. But then again some one would always say or do something to make him turn around and become the old yelling Inu-Yasha. No this defiantly wasn't Inu-Yasha. So who was waiting for her? "He's really mad."  
  
"Oh, he'll get over it." Kagome retorted coolly then thinking about it she asked, "How mad is he Shippo?"  
  
"I think he's on the verge of being PO-ed. Keade actually had to put a spell on him so he wouldn't go down the well after you. Why?" Kagome threw her pack up over the side of the old Bone Eaters well. With an earth shaking THUD! And then began to climb up after it.  
  
"Oh, just wondering." You could never be too careful with Inu-Yasha's temper. What if he some how got those prayer beads off? She thought about it for a second and then decided to forget it. He wouldn't hurt her. Would he? Now Kagome was fully out of the well and was looking around while she picked up her bag.  
  
Even though this wasn't the first time she'd crawled out of the Bone Eaters well it still amazed her about how much Japan had changed sense Inu-Yasha's time.  
  
There were trees that doted the rolling hills as Shippo and Kagome made there way toward Kaede's village and vast fields of crops to either side of them. Then, up ahead was a very angry Inu-Yasha sulking at his usual post atop a tree branch. Suddenly he jumped up and landed right in front of Kagome's face.  
  
"So what's your excuse this time!? Huh!?" he screamed with a fit of rage in her face.  
  
"I had a lot of homework to do and only three days to do it in. Not to mention the make up tests I missed. Then."  
  
"Again with these tests! What's so important about them? They just seem a big pain to me."  
  
'Good he's starting to cool down.' Thought Kagome. "They would seem like a waste to you, but as soon as this is all over and I go home they are going to help me get a good job."  
  
As they walked back to Kaede's house it finally dawned on Inu-Yasha.  
  
'So she's not going to stay here? No, why would she? She's always being attacked by demons or hurt. Why would she want to stay?'  
  
They'd walk onward Kagome smiling every time they past some one, soon she saw Miroku and Sango. And, as always, Miroku was pestering Sango trying to get her to like him, but it obviously was not working. Because as soon as Sango saw Kagome she went running up to meet her leaving Miroku to waddle up behind her looking fairly depressed at not getting any further with his and Sango's "relationship". Hearing all the 'hellos', 'your lates ', and 'I'm sorrys ' Kaede stepped out of her hut with Myoga on her shoulder. Myoga promptly jumped to his master's shoulder.  
  
Soon afterwards they were all sitting down around the fire in Kaede's house eating steamed rice with vegetables and chicken. Kaede's house was a pretty good house by feuding states standards. One big room all made of wood and a bamboo screen door. In the corner farthest from the door folded neatly was her futon and sleeping 'pillow'. In another corner (closest to the door) was Kagome's over stuffed pack, a bow, and some arrows. Once they were finished Kaede said, "I have heard of an other demon in these parts, but I am not sure it is in the possession of a part of the jewel."  
  
"What kind of demon is it, Lady Kaede?" Asked Sango.  
  
"I don't know anything about this demon except that it has been moving in this direction. And the only way I know of this is that villagers from the west say that they have seen the many people it has all ready killed left on the sides of the roads. None, that I have heard of, have actually seen it."  
  
"So what do we do?" Kagome asked with a worried look upon her face. "We can't just sit here and wait for it to come."  
  
"No. We should head west and meet it somewhere out side the village." Miroku announced.  
  
"I agree." Voiced Myoga, "We will also have an element of surprise since it will not be expecting us to come after it."  
  
"Ok!" Kagome said as she rose up. "We should leave now, so we can meet this demon as far away from the village as possible." With that she picked up her nap-sack, bow, and arrows, then walked out the door.  
  
"Wait for me Kagome." Shippo said as he scurried out after her, but outside, Kagome was nowhere to be seen. "Kagome?" He asked uncertainly to the chill November wind. "Kagome?!" Shippo asked a little louder noticing the ripped pack a few yards off to the left of him and the splintered arrows.  
  
Finally, Inu-Yasha immerged from Kaede's hut to notice that Kagome's sent was very faint, as if she was somewhere far away. Then his eyes fell upon her scattered belongings. Franticly he shot into the air like a bullet looking all around for any trace of where Kagome was. And in the distance he could see two demon figures heading west with an unconscious Kagome hanging over the larger ones shoulder.  
  
With out a moment's hesitation he sped off after the culprits. 'If they hurt her I'm going to.', he thought, however as he was thinking of the worst things possible to do to them he noticed that the late autumn air was growing chiller and droplets of rain were beginning to fall. Soon he was flying into a full-blown storm. Kagome's sent faded away as it was replaced with fresh water and the sound of rustling leaves stirred into the loudest crashes of thunder thought possible. The only way he could fallow them now was because of the flashes of lightning that illuminated them every few seconds.  
  
Kagome, as best as he could tell, was now drenched and her head was bobbing left and right with the wind. The demon holding her was a dark forest-green with a brown cape that billowed under Kagome's head hitting her in the face every time a large gust came about. The other was short and very hard to see, it almost seemed that he was the same color as the sky at some times. As if a dark puke gray.  
  
Lightning struck the side of the mountain off to the left. Boulders flowed down the side of it, like a water fall, into the valley of dormant trees below. When Inu-Yasha gazed back up at the next flash of lightning to see where they were going, all he could see for miles was the endless hurricane that circled among him. He jumped down into the needle like branches around the area he last saw them to look for prints, pick up a sent, anything. But mud washed around his feet and sheets of water poured upon him. Inu-Yasha had for once lost track of Kagome.  
  
CRACK! Inu-Yasha threw his fist through a withered tree. BOOM! Thunder crashed and rumbled all about him.  
  
CRACK! Flash. BOOM!  
  
"We did what ye asked of us." Said the smaller demon, "Here, is the girly ye requested, Lord Iyo." Flash, a figure is illuminated in light. It is tall with glowing green eyes. BOOM!  
  
"What shall I do with her, me lord?" Muttered the green one.  
  
"Bind her hands, then throw her in the corner over there." He pointed to an area that was encompassed in complete darkness, but water could be heard dripping somewhere among the lightless corner.  
  
Kagome awoke to the incessant dripping of something on her face. And when she tried to move to brush away the water that was there, she found that her hands were tided behind her. Finally managing to sit up she realized that she was inside of a cave. Slightly lit by a fire; around the fire were two of the ugliest demons she had ever seen. The first one she saw fully, was an ugly green monstrosity. He (At least Kagome thought it was a he.) had yellow-green hair, two glowing red eyes (The right one had a deep gash over it.) and reddish boils upon his hideous mug. He had arms and hands but no legs or feet. He just hovered above the matted dirt of the cave. Suddenly his eyes met Kagome's and she began to shiver with a cold emptiness that filled her. "Eh? Girly ye awake?" Kagome just sat there in fear, that she hopelessly tried to hide. "Eh?" He repeated with a slight laugh.  
  
Now the second evil being turned to face her. This one was very short (almost a third of the size of his companion) and dark gray skin. He had white frizzy hair that stood out on end. Much like an afro but not as thick, almost as if he had been struck with lightning one to many times and it just stuck like that. This one also had what looked to be rusted armor. It one looked her over and whispered something to the other, stood, and left. As that one left, the other floated over to Kagome then dragged her over the fire side.  
  
"Yer a pretty one 'ent ye?" He exclaimed after a minute of just staring at her.  
  
"Humph!" was the reply Kagome gave him as she threw her head to one side.  
  
"Rah, stop pestering our guest." Came a falsely friendlier voice. "Go outside. I have another job for you. Obi will fill you in." Rah bowed and hovered silently out the cave entrance. "Now." Said the demon in front of her. He looked like an adult human except for his florescent green eyes. "I hear that you have something I want." His face was now right in front of her's.  
  
Kagome thought of saying, "You really need a Tic-Tac." But instead she sputtered out, "I-I have nothing that would concern you." 'This guy is the most human-like, out of all of them. But he still makes me wrench. And what about that job?'  
  
"Oh, But you do." He muttered while reaching toward her. "A certain jewel shard." His hand still inching closer to where the jewel hung on its chain. Hidden under her shirt. ".the largest of all." Then with demon like reflexes her grabbed the jewel from around her neck tearing the front of her uniform in the process. Not the whole front of her shirt, but it was still noticeable. However this demon didn't seem to care.  
  
Kagome followed the jewel in his hand. It glittered in the fire light, so innocent like. It was dark out side and considerably wet, as if it had been raining earlier.  
  
"Don't worry. I'm not going to use it." He spoke finally. Kagome's eyes betrayed her curiosity of 'why'. "Well not just yet anyway. No. I think I'll have some fun first."  
  
The last thing Kagome saw was a hand coming toward to hit her and the last thing she felt was the hard rock meeting with the left side of her face. 


	2. 2

*********** The Game ***********  
  
"Dam it. I can't find a trace of them." Exclaimed a very distraught Inu- Yasha as he searched around the base of the mountain that he thought he saw them go up. "It's been hours now." 'I hope she's okay.' Just then there was a crack. Very faint, but still there. Then a rustle of dried dead leaves, up the side of the mountain. Inu-Yasha dove for the source of the sound and ended up catching a mouth full of leaves.  
  
"Ye think ye can catch us, half-breed?"  
  
Inu-Yasha jumped up. "Who are you? And where did you take Kagome?!"  
  
"Kagome?" Came a second voice.  
  
"Yes, Rah, he must mean the pretty girly we captured earlier."  
  
"She was a pretty girly. Wonder what he'll do with her, Obi?"  
  
"Oh, I have no doubt in me mind Lord Iyo."  
  
"Show your selves cowards!" Inu-Yasha was even more worried for Kagome now after hearing these buffoons talk.  
  
"Oh, how rude we have been. Talking to ye though the darkness. But no longer. I be Obi." He proclaimed as he stepped out of the mist of trees right in front of Inu-Yasha.  
  
"Me be Rah." The other added as he too revealed him self from behind the boulders to Inu-Yasha's left.  
  
"My question still remains. Where did you take Kagome?"  
  
"Do ye think we should tell him?" Obi asked Rah.  
  
"May be. But he'll have to catch us first." Both laughing, jumped up into the air and started running across the tree tops. All the while screaming, "Ye'll have to catch us! Ye'll have to catch us! He-he heeeeee!"  
  
But Inu-Yasha was not one to be toyed with today. They stole Kagome and the jewel shard. "Bastards! I don't have time for this! Where is she!"  
  
They crossed thousands of trees, rivers, and deep ravines, but all the while steadily climbing the mountain. The air became more crisp and cold. Inu-Yasha didn't mind the cold so much, but hell, even if he did find Kagome she might as well be frozen to death. Especially since she was still wearing that short dress she called a, "uniform".  
  
With out any warning the ground shot out from underneath him and Inu-Yasha fell strait down onto a bunch of cliffs where right in front of him stood a- a human? No he couldn't be human. Just look at those eyes, they're glowing green.  
  
"Obi, Rah would you please come out here? It's time to play our little game." He said coolly as if he'd been waiting for him. Then out from the dark cave behind him came Obi, Rah and. and.  
  
"Kagome!" Inu-Yasha yelled but Kagome was still unconscious. There was dried blood on the left side of her face and her shirt was ripped some in the front. "What have you done to her?" He growled.  
  
"I just made her take a little nap. Don't worry, I think I'll wake her up now." With that he turned, picked up Kagome by the side of her arm and shook her violently. Once conscious again he threw her back to his henchmen who just nearly caught her. Then motioned for them to hold her right next to him and as they brought her forward he uncovered a small dagger. "I have a proposition for you Inu-Yasha and be grateful I give it you."  
  
"You must be Iyo. Bastard! Now give me back Kagome and I may not kill you." Krck, when Inu-Yasha's fist as he was getting ready to jump after him.  
  
"I wouldn't do that if I were you." Iyo warned by waving the knife. "Just a scratch from this dagger and she won't ever wake up from the sleep it will put on her. Although you may have days time with her, but the slow. painful death. " Kagome's eyes widened as she realized what was going on. Iyo was threatening to poison her. She watched him twirl the knife in front of her. "Now here's my proposition, Inu-Yasha. In one hand you can have this little jewel (he pulled the Shikon jewel shard from his pants pocket) and I'll keep this ravishing young woman or. You can have the wench and I get to keep the all powerful Shikon Jewel shard. The choice, I am so graciously giving to you."  
  
Inu-Yasha's eyes shook back and forth. He could see Kagome beginning to cry in fear (although she'd never admit to it) as he began to press the dagger up against her arm. Iyo with his little smirk on his face. The sick bastard! How could he like teasing people like this?  
  
For sometime he just stared at Kagome, covered in dirt and blood. Her clothes were torn and by the looks of things she couldn't even stand. He could see her breath on the air in front of her. 'She must be freezing.' He thought. Inu-Yasha thought he had made up his mind, until he remembered that the jewel would just give Iyo more strength and he didn't know if he would be able to stand it. Tomorrow night was a new moon and he'd be helpless if he attacked then, even if Kagome was safe and alive she wouldn't be for long.  
  
"I am getting impatient. You know, thinking about it, maybe I should just take. Now what did you call her? Ah, yes Kagome. And leave the jewel. She is very beautiful." Kagome began to whimper as he stroked her neck between her ear and shoulder.  
  
"Get your hands off of her!" Inu-Yasha screamed. Kagome looked up at him. Her cheeks damp with tears; nose red from the cold.  
  
"Oh, so have you made up your mind then?"  
  
Finally Kagome found her voice. "No." She started to shake her head back and forth. "No. Take the."  
  
"Shut up Bi.!" He raised a hand to slap her again.  
  
"I said don't touch her!" Inu-Yasha yelled more franticly. "Leave Kagome alone! You can have the stupid jewel!"  
  
"So is that your final decision then?" Iyo said looking at him with a sort of awe.  
  
"Yes." Replied Inu-Yasha with a slight nod.  
  
"Ok then, if that's really what you want. Then you can have her." Iyo grabbed Kagome by the arm and ripped her from the grasp of his two henchmen and threw her at Inu-Yasha. Then jumped up and vanished over another set of dead trees, while Inu-Yasha caught the flying Kagome.  
  
"Are you ok, Kagome?" He asked uniting her hands. Kagome tried to stand up.  
  
"Ya, I'm fine. But will you stop moving around?" She said and fell into Inu- Yasha. Then he noticed it, a small cut on the side of her arm as if it was made by a knife.  
  
"But I'm not moving." He replied. Kagome fell, shivering right into his chest.  
  
"It's s-so cold." She sputtered in clouds of white smoke.  
  
Inu-Yasha pulled off the jacket of his kimono and rapped it around Kagome. Then he rapped his arms around her and began running down the side of the mountain. Scaling over cliffs, jumping over streams of ice, and skimming over the lifeless trees as he raced to Kaede's village. But her breathing kept getting louder and faster.  
  
Kagome looked up at his face, so determined to get back in time to save her. However she also knew he was thinking about how to get the shard back too. She would have stared to cry if it wasn't so cold.  
  
"I'm sorry.Inu-Yasha." She said finally.  
  
He almost lost his balance from shear surprise that one. She was able to speak and two. She was sorry?  
  
"Why should you be sorry?" He replied as he got his balance back.  
  
"I lost, the jewel."  
  
'How can she say that? I was the one that gave it up.' Thought Inu-Yasha.  
  
"And I-I don't know, if. if."  
  
"Don't say it. 'Cause you're not going to die. We'll make it back in time. And that old witch will get that poison out of you."  
  
"I wish [gasp] that you could be right." She was breathing really heavily and chill air piercing her lung every time she took a breath; as if she were swallowing needles.  
  
"Don't talk like that!" He was running as fast as demonly possible now. Every thing around them was all a blur, but Inu-Yasha seemed to know where they were going. "We're going to make it!"  
  
They were silent for a while and with every passing minute Kagome's condition got worse. Her breathing was heavy and she couldn't stop shivering. Snow was beginning to fall. He needed to find someplace warm other wise she'd freeze. Some how she would just have to try and keep living until the snow stopped. He searched for a dry place to build a fire and just as luck would have it there was an old abandoned shack just a few yards away. 


	3. 3

***************** Frail and Helpless *****************  
  
"Kagome. How you doing?" His reply was a coughing attack. "I know there isn't much time but we'll never make it through this snow storm if we keep going."  
  
Kagome nodded. The snow flurries had turned into a full blown blizzard.  
  
They landed right next to the shack; Inu-Yasha opened the door and jumped inside throwing the door closed behind them. The inside was small and covered in spider webs. There was a pile of hay in one of the corners; a pile of wood in the other. There was a small ditch in the middle of the room with ashes in it, probably used as a fireplace at one time.  
  
Inu-Yasha cleared away the spider webs as he set Kagome down on the pile of hay. Then set to making a fire. He put a log down, and put some hay down on top of that. Then put two sticks against each other like a cross and began to rub them together. Soon there were sparks and then a fire arose from that. He looked back over at Kagome, she had fallen asleep but she was still shivering; so he picked her up and with her in his lap sat down next to the fire. Inu-Yasha rubbed the side of her arm trying to keep her warm.  
  
The wind howled against the side of the hut, snow and hail pounded down upon the roof. Every once and a while it sounded as if a tree had crashed to the ground.  
  
Finally (after about a half an hour) it seemed that Kagome had stopped shivering. Her eyes opened and closed a couple of times before she was fully awake. Kagome was still breathing pretty heavily though at least she was still alive. But for how long, he couldn't tell, and quite frankly didn't want to think about it. All that mattered was that she was alive in his arms then and there. He looked down at her. Kagome looked so helpless, eyes glazed over like that. So fragile almost like glass. He wished he could just make it all stop. Just make it all stop right now.  
  
Kagome strained her neck and turned her head to look at him. "Hi." she whispered with a weak smile. Her voice was hoarse and raspy. A solemn tear ran down his cheek as Inu-Yasha starred straight ahead into the heart of the fire. Why couldn't it have been him that was hurt? He didn't want her to die. He looked down at her; she was so beautiful lying in the fire light. So frail and helpless. He leaned over and gently kissed her forehead. Then looked back up into the fire as if nothing had happened. Kagome sat bewildered in his lap.  
  
'Is he crying? I knew that he might. but.' "Inu-Yasha."  
  
He looked down at Kagome, sat her up, and embraced her in a hug that was so warm and deep that she almost got lost in it. She wished she could wrap her arms back around him but they felt like they were filled with lead. So she just had to settle for lying there against his warm chest. If she were to die then, she would have died happy.  
  
"I can't believe we're out here looking for them in this!" Myoga screamed through a mouthful of snow.  
  
"I bet they're in a cave some where!" Miroku yelled ignoring Myoga on his shoulder. "Are you sure they went this way, Shippo!?"  
  
"Yes! They went west!"  
  
"Hold on, I see something! Mr. Raccoon, can you take us down there?" Sango motioned to a clearing not to far off with a brown dot in the center of it.  
  
"What is it Sango!?" Miroku asked.  
  
"It looks to be some sort of a house! We might be able to stay there until this snow lets up a little!" She replied.  
  
Inu-Yasha's ears perked up.  
  
"What is it?" Kagome gasped.  
  
"There is something outside." He looked around the cabin. "Here." He picked her up and placed her on the bed of hay then covered her with it. "Just don't move."  
  
"I. don't think. that will be. a problem."  
  
'She's getting worse.' Inu-Yasha thought but, he still smiled softly back. Then covered her head and turned to open the door.  
  
He opened the door slowly and noticed that it was still snowing pretty badly. There was a group of something coming towards them but, he couldn't make it out. Inu-Yasha placed a hand on the hilt of his sword. Then took a breath and jumped through the door rearing the Tetusaiga. Two voices could be heard screaming through the sheets of snow.  
  
"Inu-Yasha?! Is that you?!" Yelled a familiar voice.  
  
"Who are you?!" He yelled back.  
  
"It's us!" yelled another one.  
  
"Who is 'us'?!"  
  
"Shippo!" Suddenly a kitsune jumped out of nowhere onto Inu-Yasha grabbing onto his hair "handles".  
  
"Where's Kagome?"  
  
"Inside." He said bewildered. Shippo jumped down from him and ran inside the hut. "Whoa. Whoa. Hold up. Where did you guy's come from?"  
  
"Kagome?" Asked Shippo (who was totally ignoring Inu-Yasha) to what he thought to be an empty room. "Where are you?"  
  
"Over. here." said the hay stack. All the others walked into the room. Inu- Yasha stepped forward to uncover Kagome and lift her head up so she could see them. "Who's. that.?"  
  
"Kagome, can't you tell who we are?"  
  
"Shippo.? Is that. you?" She asked wearily.  
  
"Kagome, what happened?"  
  
"."  
  
"I'll tell them." Inu-Yasha told her and laid Kagome back down on the hay. "You get some rest. Just don't die." Kagome nodded her head yes, with a weak smile, and closed her eyes. Soon after they thought her to be fast asleep.  
  
"Is it all right to let her fall asleep?" Shippo piped out.  
  
Inu-Yasha shook his head 'no' at the kitsune and then proceeded to tell them of chasing after Obi and Rah. Then of that bastard Iyo and his "game". How he took the jewel, and then poisoned Kagome. Then of the snow storm and how they wound up in this shack. Once he had finished telling his tale; Miroku was the first to speak.  
  
"So she's really dying?"  
  
Inu-Yasha just nodded as Miroku threw his fist into the ground leaving a dent in the matted earth.  
  
"Myoga, do you think you could suck out the poison?" Shippo asked, "Like you did to Inu-Yasha?"  
  
"I wish that it would help. The poison of which ye speak has been in her blood for far to long for me to do any good."  
  
"So there's nothing we can do?" Sango voiced.  
  
"." [Everyone]  
  
All fell silent and the fire flickered however, outside where a pair of spies roaming around that didn't seem to like their new assignment.  
  
"Me c-can't believe, me and ye hast to fallow the girly."  
  
"Lord Iyo, said the girly must be dead and to fallow Inu-Yasha; then report, Rah."  
  
"I think we should take her back to her own time. It's probably the best thing to do." All eyes were on Inu-Yasha after what he just said.  
  
"But." Shippo protested.  
  
"Inu-Yasha is right, Shippo. Kagome will probably want to see her family one last time." Sango replied.  
  
"I know." He mumbled.  
  
"We should leave as soon as this blizzard lets up." Miroku announced. Inu- Yasha looked back over his shoulder and nodded in agreement.  
  
Kagome felt like crying but then again that would give her away. She was awake and had been listening to the whole conversation. He wanted to take her back after he had just.But it was true that she did want to see her family again. 'Am I really going to die?' she thought. She opened her eyes slowly, to see that Inu-Yasha was still staring at her. The outlines of his face where a little blurry. She was loosing her eye sight!  
  
Inu-Yasha walked over to Kagome, sat down next to her, picked up her hand, and held it tightly in his grasp. He leaned his back up against the wall and just sat there staring at her, with such intentness, that Kagome felt like he was trying to burn a hole in her by ESP. They just sat like that for what seemed like forever, or at least until Kagome fell back asleep. 


	4. 4

************** The Trip Back **************  
  
She awoke later on to fined that she was being carried to a transformed Mr. Raccoon. The snow had let up and they were leaving, although it was still freezing. But there was so much snow on the ground; how could it be warm? It didn't take long for them to take off. The wind rushed by, stinging Kagome's cheeks and turning her nose as red as a cherry.  
  
About 15 minutes into the "flight" Kagome began to feel like they were already in morning. 'Man, maybe I should say something. But what? Maybe a joke? Would that be. right?' Kagome opened her mouth to say something. But nothing came out.  
  
"." [Kagome] None of them paid much attention to her, in fact they hadn't look at her since she had woken up. 'I hate when people do that.'  
  
". I'm not dead, ya know?" She said so-o quietly that she could barely hear it, but obviously they did. No one had expected her to start talking so they all slightly jumped. Although none of them would ever had admitted to it. Shippo, Miroku, Sango, and Myoga all looked at her as if she were a ghost. Kagome knew Mr. Raccoon probably would have looked too, if in doing so they would not have fallen off into oblivion. However the one person she really wanted to look at her was still staring off in to la-la land. What did he think about all the time any way? Was he thinking about Kikyo, again? Here. Now? Her head rested on his folded knees and his hand grasped her's tightly but. did he even know that she was still breathing? 'I wish someone else would say something.'  
  
"We know, Kagome. Don't worry; we haven't given up hope just yet." At least someone said something.  
  
'Thanks Myoga.' . 'Wow I'd never thought I'd say that one.'  
  
However Myoga was no longer interested in what Kagome was doing. Or maybe he was. But he jumped onto Inu-Yasha's head right next to his ears, so that only he and Inu-Yasha could understand himself.  
  
"Now listen well, me lord Inu-Yasha, Kagome must not be allowed to sleep. Lest she won't awaken from it. Her body soon may give out in any case. I pray that we make it back in time." with that he jumped up to Miroku's shoulder, before he could return a comment.  
  
Then almost automatically he finally looked down at her, however at this time Kagome was no longer interested in Inu-Yasha. She was gazing almost longingly up at the gray-blue sky. 'Maybe I was dreaming last night. He probably still hates me like always. Is it just me, or is it getting warmer outside? It feels nice. And the clouds are so calming to look at. But still.' With that she looked back up at a most embarrassed Inu-Yasha, who quickly reverted his gaze back to the treetops.  
  
'I can't believe she caught me looking at her.' But what Kagome did next stopped all other train of thought. She squeezed his hand lightly. (Probably hard for her.) He looked back down at her with an I-can't-believe- you-can-still-move look on his face and then he saw that silent tears were sliding down the sides of her cheeks.  
  
"Why the tears, Kagome?" ' "Why the tears." What the hell was I thinking? I all ready know the answer. She's dying! And all I can say is.'  
  
"I-I'm sorry." Her voice was so light and bearly audible.  
  
'Didn't we go through this all ready?'  
  
"If I've told you once. I've told you a million times. You have nothing to be sorry about!" Dying or not, she was starting to get on his nerves.  
  
"But I lo-[gasp]"  
  
"Feh. You didn't lose anything! I made the choice to." He stopped his words before they came out, realizing what he would have said.  
  
By this time they had gained the attention of everyone within a one mile radius. 'This is becoming very entertaining.' Miroku smirked. 'Hh-hm.'  
  
"Made the choice to what, Inu-Yasha?" Miroku inquired. 'Since we happen to be stuck here, may as well have some fun.'  
  
"Feh. Like you'd care." (Back to looking into they blue-ing sky.)  
  
"We might. If you just tell us." Sango piped in after being silent since the beginning of the trip.  
  
"." 'Those demons that started this whole mess are following us. But they don't seem to want to attack. Why? I can't leave her. But.' "They're following us." 'At least I can change the subject.'  
  
"Who?" Shippo jumped up and ran to dive around Inu-Yasha and Kagome who were sitting at the tail. However Inu-Yasha caught his tail before he could fully walk around them and get a proper look.  
  
"You shouldn't let them know we're watching, Shippo. If they haven't attacked by now, then they won't." Miroku commented.  
  
Shippo sat down next to Kagome and looked down at his knees.  
  
'He looks so. frustrated?' "Don't worry about [deep breath] it. Everyone [another breath] makes mistakes." Kagome gave Shippo a weak smile.  
  
"I hate this! No one can do anything!" Shippo exclaimed though not enough that the pursuers could hear. "And now we just let some. demons fallow us to the village? I feel so useless!"  
  
After stating what everyone else had felt for at least the last four hours, not one of them could look the other in the eye. Of course unless you count the futile attempts of Kagome. Who tried as she might couldn't get anyone's attention. So (for once in her life) she gave up and snuggled down into Inu- Yasha's pant leg trying to fall a sleep, but (for some odd enough reason) it seemed he had caught a case of the jitters. "Inu-Yasha." She said so quietly that he had to bend over to hear her finish the sentence. "Stop moving."  
  
He couldn't say it. 'No' he whispered in his mind, as he shook his head side to side.  
  
"Why.not?"  
  
'It was a fair enough question. And it's not like she doesn't know. But. how to say it? Might as well not.' With that thought, thought he pulled her up to sit in his lap then through his arms around her stomach.  
  
'Was I dreaming?'  
  
They sat like that for what seemed like an eternity. Inu-Yasha, looked as if, he didn't care that everyone in the world was watching them. Kagome had a bright red blush over her pale white face along with a look of curiosity.  
  
'This can't be happening.' Kagome exclaimed in her head.  
  
'Whoa.' Raced Shippo's mind as he jumped back all most falling off.  
  
'Is that really Inu-Yasha?' Whispered a wide eyed Miroku.  
  
'It can't be.' Said a voiceless Myoga.  
  
As Sango tried to figure out what was happening. 'A demon with feelings? I don't believe what I'm seeing.'  
  
Thoughts flourished with the sight of Inu-Yasha hugging Kagome like that. And so many questions were wanting to be said like, 'What the hell just happened here?', but the air around them was silent and flowing past their ears in a steady stream. Washing away the unheard questions to the waterless sea behind them.  
  
"Inu-Yasha."  
  
"Kagome, I'm sorry. This isn't your fault. It's mine. All I had to do was follow you. But I didn't. I'm sorry."  
  
It took an eternity to do but Kagome finally was able to grab Inu-Yasha's hand. Startling. well.everyone.  
  
"It's no ones. fault.no. ones." With that she fell back into his chest and in closing her eyes fell asleep.  
  
Inu-Yasha's eyes began to widen. "Kagome?" he asked uncertainly. "Kagome!? Kagome!!!" He flipped her around to face him, but for all his efforts all he got was a blank face and closed eyes. 


	5. 5

**************** A Vanishing Act ****************  
  
Back off in the distance the two 'spies' (if that's what you could call them) stared on as Inu-Yasha preceded to shake Kagome awake, but to no avail.  
  
"Do we return to Lord Iyo? The girly is dead."  
  
"Me will keep an eye on them, ye tell master." Obi told Rah and with that Rah was off sailing quickly in the opposite direction. Obi's attention immediately returned to Inu-Yasha who. wasn't there? "Where did that hanyu go? And he took the girly!" Obi whispered with excitement. For the transformed raccoon was there.The monk, the demon exterminator, and kitsune were all there but Inu-Yasha and Kagome weren't. 'He must have jumped off! But where.? There!'  
  
Inu-Yasha was racing across the tree tops, several miles in front of the rest of them. He was now only a speck against the blue-ish sky. Inu-Yasha was heading strait to Keade's village which was now barely visible on the horizon line. Obi quickly sped up and flew directly under the group. His mission was to keep an eye on Inu-Yasha and the girly, not hide from rest of them.  
  
Inu-Yasha arrived at Keade's hut right as the sun began to set behind them. He ran into the hut just as Keade was getting ready to put a pot of rice over the fire. Him rushing in there all of the sudden startled the old priestess and rice and water fell all over the floor extinguishing the fire.  
  
"You have to help her!" Screamed the breathless demon. "She won't wake up!"  
  
"Put her over there quickly!" She pointed toward an area of the floor that was not wet and had a bamboo mat laid out over it.  
  
Inu-Yasha complied but wouldn't let go of her hand. He felt as if, if he were to let go she might disappear all together. However after must antagonizing and debate Keade finally got him to let go so she could properly check her pulse.  
  
"Inu-Yasha. . . "  
  
He stared at her with so much intensity that it made her back down a bit.  
  
"Yes!? What?" He didn't speak loudly, actually quite the opposite, but it was very excited, tense, and. . . sad? It sounded as if he were trying to fight back tears.  
  
"She's not dead." A single tear fell from his face and fell to the ground as the others came rushing through the door.  
  
"Keade is she. . .?"  
  
"No, but she is in what is in what is know as a dead sleep. She has a pulse and is still breathing, but is not conscience. There is no cure known. . . She. . . She. . ." Suddenly the priestess fell down into deep sobs of sorrow.  
  
" 'She' what!?" Inu-Yasha grabbed Keade's shoulders, his hands trembling violently. Keade regaining some of her composure said silently. . .  
  
"She. . . Won't make it through the night."  
  
Inu-Yasha's eyes widened and he let go of her shoulders to look back down at Kagome.  
  
"So there's nothing we can do?" Shippo piped in.  
  
Keade shook her head, "Nothing. . ."All of the sudden she had an idea, "But in her time. . . they might."  
  
It didn't take any more than a second for Inu-Yasha to grab Kagome and rush out the door. Obi saw a streak of red pass by as Inu-Yasha headed for the well, jumped through, and disappeared.  
  
"H-How. . .?" Obi looked down the well and saw nothing but a bottomless void 


	6. 6

****************** What's a hospital? ******************  
  
Back in Kagome's time. . . Inu-Yasha ran strait to the main building which had been made into the house that Kagome and her family now occupied and flung open the front door, then preceded to find the Higurashi family.  
  
They were sitting at the dinner table half way through their meal, when the door to the kitchen slid open revealing Inu-Yasha holding Kagome's limp body.  
  
"What have you done!!!" Mrs. Higurashi screamed spraying rice all over the table. She jumped up and grabbed Kagome from Inu-Yasha.  
  
"She's in a dead sleep."  
  
"Dead sleep!!!" Mrs. Higurashi began to cradle Kagome's body and cry.  
  
"Let me see her, darling." Kagome's grandfather took Kagome's wrist. "She's till alive! It must be a coma! Quick we have to get her to hospital! You take her to the car and I'll phone the hospital to tell them we're coming!"  
  
With that they were off. Mrs. Higurashi ran, daughter in hand to the car parked in the street and Gramps pulled out a small black box (what we know to be called a cell phone) and began to "call" the hospital. Sota and Inu- Yasha followed them.  
  
Mrs. Higurashi jumped in the back seat with Kagome, Gramps climbed into the drivers seat, and Sota flung him self in the back just as the car took off, leaving Inu-Yasha to follow behind.  
  
They sped past many tall and odd shaped buildings, the sun was almost set when they reached the ER. A stretcher and several people dressed in light pastel colored clothing (know to us as doctors) where waiting for them as they pulled up. Inu-Yasha tried to follow Kagome in but was stopped by Mrs. Higurashi.  
  
"This is all your fault!! You stay out here!" Inu-Yasha was about to reply but held his tong as a man dressed in all white called her over and began to ask her questions. The strangely dressed people had placed Kagome on a board on wheels (stretcher) and rolled her inside.  
  
Gramps, Sota, and Mrs. Higurashi sat in the waiting room. Well, most of the time anyway. Mrs. Higurashi would constantly stand and pace the room or run sobbing to the restroom. Sota was more interested in the magazines and Gramps was trying to use one of his "past down from generations" spell. All the while Inu-Yasha sat in a pine tree out side the waiting room window watching as another woman in white walked up to Mrs. Higurashi.  
  
She sat down next to her, while Mrs. Higurashi tried to compose her self. Once she though it was okay to speak the nurse said something that brought a whole new flood of tears to her eyes.  
  
"Damn it. I can't hear." Inu-Yasha said quietly.  
  
He had all ready found out the hard way that demons in trees looking through hospital windows were not a common sight. Especially loud, cursing demons. This man in blue had tried to "arrest" him, what ever that is. However, he ran away when Inu-Yasha threw him about a yard away and into a by stander when he had attempted to "cuff" him, yet again what ever the hell that is.  
  
'Grr, I wish I could hear them. What the hell is happening in there?'  
  
Mean while, Kagome has been walking around aimlessly through a dark forest. It looks about October but it's so cold that Kagome's breaths come out as puffs of smoke. Her calls for help echo back with no reply accept for the icy wind and a rustle of leaves. Her cheeks are red and iced over from tears. She couldn't figure out how all this had happened or how long she had been wondering around like this. Only that no one else seemed to be around. Only the wind and the sound of water dripping. Dripping incessantly in her ears. It nagged at her, like she had heard it somewhere before and was on the verge of remembering it when the world would spin and she would be some where else and a different obnoxious sound would begin. Like the sound of thunder and rain or of some one calling out her name. However, it was always as cold, dark, and damp as the forest she was currently in.  
  
This time it was beginning to snow she felt like she could be flying, but shook it off.  
  
"I'm probably just so tired and cold that I'm hallucinating." She said in a soft dry voice. "But that sound of water. Where is it coming from. Oh gods. My hands are purple. HELP! HELP ME-eke-k." She was beginning to cough violently.  
  
"Kagome!?" He jumped down from his tree and ran to where the sound was coming from. It was an open window about five up. 'That has got to be her!' He stated as he leapt up and through the open window. What he saw next scared him more than Naraku. It was Kagome. She was strapped down to a bed wriggling around, and purple as a plum. She had tubes coming out of everywhere. Her mom was standing in the doorway staring, horrified at the sight. She had only glanced up slightly when Inu-Yasha had jumped in through the window.  
  
"WHAT THE HELL ARE THEY DOI-?" Inu-Yasha was cut short as Kagome's mother moved over in front of him (between Kagome and him) and slapped his face. His cheek was red and his eyes were shocked.  
  
"Don't you dare come in here at yell at me like that! They're helping her, unlike you! I can't see why you would-why any- do this to- to my- to Kag-" She had begun to sputter out tears and beat her clenched hands on Inu- Yasha's chest.  
  
Inu-Yasha grabbed her wrists the next time round and pushed her somewhat gently into a seat in the corner of the room, next to the window on looking Kagome's bed. Which had stopped shaking. Now it just looked as if she were asleep although an uneasy shade of light blue.  
  
Kagome's mom had put her hands over her face and her face in her lap. She was slightly rocking back and forth as he tried to explain that it was not he who had done this to Kagome.  
  
By the time he was finish Mrs. Higurashi had clamed down a bit. Though silent waves of water ran down her face. She stood and walked slowly next to Kagome's bed she placed the blanket that had fallen on the floor over her daughter and took her hand.  
  
"You're so cold." She whispered to the unconcsience child. She seemed almost dead, but the monitor in the area between her bed and the door clearly stated with steady beats that she wasn't.  
  
Kagome by this time stopped wheezing and felt warmer. The forest had changed out with a shrine. It looked awfully familiar, so familiar. A big house and a smaller, almost like, a mine-temple.  
  
"What! I know where I am! This is where I live! My home! Mom!" She ran inside the house as fast as her legs could carry her worn body.  
  
However, it wasn't her house any more. No kitchen, no table, she would have even settle for the cat she saw hunched on the window sill. But none of that was there. It was replaced with a white room with a bed, and medical equipment. There was some one in the bed but she was faced so she couldn't see. Her mother stood over the bed holding a pail hand and some one else was there. some one in red. "Who is that?" 


	7. 7

**************** A tear for a tear ****************  
  
The man (at least she thought it was a man) jumped up from the chair he was sitting in at the sound of her voice. But instead of running to her, he had leapt to the side of the bed. "Who's in the bed?" She asked her self wearily but never thought she would hear a reply.  
  
"Kagome." Said the man in red. "Kagome.? Can you hear me?"  
  
She tried to walk towards them, oh gods she tired, but her feet and arms just wouldn't budge.  
  
"Kagome.?" He stroked the bangs out from in front of the person's face. She recognized this action, but who was he.  
  
"Who is that?" She asked again.  
  
"Kagome.?" Asked a softer more famine voice. "It's me, your mother. You remember me, don't you?" A fresh set of tears had welled up in her eyes and soon they began to fall like rain.  
  
"Like rain. rain." Kagome's mind was off racing through flashing pictures of rain and thunder. "Something happened in the rain."  
  
"Kagome? Please do you know who I am?" Her mother sobbed.  
  
"Yea. I think I do. But. Who are you?"  
  
"I'm your mom, Kago."  
  
"No. Not you." Inu-Yasha's eye's glazed over as he spoke.  
  
"You don't remember who I am?" He asked softly. His hand (by now instinctively) went to feel her forehead or brush away her bangs, that weren't there to begin with.  
  
"I can't." Water welled up in her eyes as well and fell as she spoke. Who ever was on the bed must have had the same reaction because the "man" brushed the person who was in bed's cheek as if he were wiping away tears.  
  
"Don't cry. I-It's okay."  
  
"No. It's s-so cold and I. can hardly breath." By this time the sun was rising and morning light was shining through the window. It was creeping ever so slightly up to the chair tipped over in front of the window, casting a shadow on the tiled floor below.  
  
"Kagome it is going to be."  
  
"No! I can't move!" Mrs. Higurashi began to fumble with something attached the bed and soon the man began to help. Straps of leather began to fall under the bed.  
  
"Can you move now honey?" Kagome place one step forward but as soon as she did so the room began to fog over.  
  
"Now I can hardly see you! Help me. please!" She was so desperate that she would have taken any solution to get out that situation. "Mr. Please help me-e-e!"  
  
"Kagome! What do you see?" Asked Inu-Yasha. "Where are you? I'm right here! Next to you!"  
  
"Fog. White." Her words were so distant that he had to place his ear right next to her mouth to hear them.  
  
"That's not enough, where are you?"  
  
"Was in. room. bed. window. and chair."  
  
"You were in here?!"  
  
"Still. in. fog. hear birds."  
  
In fact a few small birds had fluttered into the room seeing a crust of bread left over from a sandwich Mrs. Higurashi had eaten for dinner the other day.  
  
"She's still in here." Inu-Yasha told Mrs. Higurashi. She franticly spread her arms out in front of her and walked all around the room searching for her daughter when there was a knock at the door. Inu-Yasha jumped out of the window and back into the tree he had previously occupied. "Damn!" He cursed.  
  
Back in the room the doctor had come to check up on Kagome. He said that she was making some progress. Actually it was only the fact that she had gotten warmer because they had placed the blanket back on her. Kagome was now outside under a pine tree. She had taken a step back thinking that it might take her closer. Since her step forward had done only the opposite. However to no avail. She looked up to see a blazing half risen sun and clouds that where amazingly white. That man who was in the hospital room was now sitting in a pine tree she was currently standing under. He had leaned back and was 'sleeping'.? His eyes were closed and his chest heaved up and down in a regular pattern, but was he really asleep?  
  
"Excuse me!" Kagome yelled up at him. The most outrageous thing began to happen.  
  
Everything was black except for the tree, the man in the tree, and her self. It became violently cold again and she could see her breath on the still air. Kagome took a step forward and amazingly nothing around them changed. She placed a hand on the bark of the tree and called again, "Sir!? If you can hear me. I'd really like to talk to you!"  
  
Inu-Yasha awoke to the freezing cold air and pitch black skies (well, not just skies but, everything.) Nothing was visible except for, Kagome.?  
  
He sprang down from his perch and landed right in front of her. "Kagome?"  
  
"How did you know my name? Do I know you from some where? You awfully familiar." Her hands flew with hand gestures from excitement that her could see and hear her. But she pulled them back when they finally got a whiff of the stiff cold air.  
  
"Yes! You do know me from somewhere! Down the well! Remember?!"  
  
"A well. down a well?" Her minded pulled her back to the day she fell down the well in the mine-shine. "Something. A bunch of. hands. Pulled me down a well once. Then I saw a. boy.? No, no." She shook her hear with disgust at saying such a stupid thing.  
  
"You remember seeing a boy?" His eye's flickered with hope. 'She's remembering me!' "Can you remember what he looked like?"  
  
"This going to sound so stupid!"  
  
"Just tell me!" He was starting to get impatient, again.  
  
"He. He had long hair and was wearing. all. red..." She looked up at him again seeing before her what she had just described. "It. He was you! Who are you?!" She screamed at him.  
  
"Inu-." His voice was caught in his throat so he tried again. "In." it just wasn't working he couldn't say his name.  
  
"Inu-in?" She put her head to the side and looked him over. 'His names not "Inu-in" at least that's not all of it. I feel like I should know this. What is his name?!'  
  
"Ya." He tried to continue. But his voice wouldn't let him say his name in entirety. 'If I can't say it in whole I'll spit it out in bits and pray she puts them together.' ".sh.a." There he had said it all.  
  
"What the.?" The ground had begun to rumble and was rolling like the waves of an ocean with a tsunami on the way.  
  
"Not again!!!" She screamed. Inu-Yasha ran over and grabbed Kagome protectively as buildings of all shapes and sizes started to sprout out of the ground like wild flowers. 'This. I know this! His name it's. Inu. Ya. sh.a. Inu-Ya~sha. Inu-Yasha!' With that he began to fade. He was becoming transparent and his hands slid right through Kagome. He slowly looked from his hands back to Kagome's face that a fresh new set tears had begun to stain. Her head shaking back and forth silently she started whispering , "Don't go. Don't go. Inu-Yasha don't-go!!!"  
  
There was a pull behind her navel and she flew backward and up passing right threw the now closed window to where her body awaited her return. She landed on top of her body slowing down to twist her self into the position it was then laying down back in herself. 


	8. 8

The Spook  
  
Outside Inu-Yasha awoke in a cold sweat. He had seen and talked with Kagome. Then something happened and she was pulled away from him. He couldn't hold on. 'I couldn't save her.' "Damn." He hit the side of the tree just as a small voice called out his name.  
  
"Inu-Yasha!" It was Sota, Kagome's little brother. He jumped down to find that he wasn't alone. An older man. Very older man looked at him and said.  
  
"We had better get you some clothes fitting this time period if you want to go back in that hospital. Follow me." Gramps motioned for him to follow him to the car.  
  
"Come on Inu-Yasha!" Sota pulled on his sleeve as he took one last glance toward Kagome's room then complied with the young boy.  
  
He sat in the back of the old gray car as Gramps drove back to the shrine. They pulled up at the house a little past noon. As he stepped out the cold breeze hit him and that's when he realized it. His demon powers were leaving him, even a hanyu didn't feel cold that easily.  
  
Gramps unlocked the front door to let everyone in as Buyo ran out.  
  
"I knew we forgot to do something." Sota said with a whimsical face on him.  
  
"Sota you we're supposed to let Buyo out before we left yesterday afternoon." He scolded the young boy. "This way Inu-Yasha."  
  
They entered an old dusty room. It smelt of mold and even though he was in the early stages of change it still stunk to him.  
  
"Here we are." Kagome's grandfather stopped right in front of an old trunk. Opening it he began to explain, "These used to belong to my son, Kagome's father, before he passed on. They may be a little out of date but at least they'll fit." He rummaged through the clothing picking out some, tattered at the foot holes, blue jeans, a white 'v' neck t-shirt, and a base ball cap advertising some company. When he was finished he stood (with a slight crick from his back) and handed the clothing to Inu-Yasha. Inu-Yasha just stood there staring blindly at the material in his hands, as Gramps walked around him shutting the door as he left.  
  
When Inu-Yasha finally emerged (It had been almost a hour.) from the room he was dressed in the outfit that was given to him. He looked like a cross between a baseball fan and a biker 'dude'. He had the Tetusaiga in his left hand and his fire-rat kimono over his right arm.  
  
Sota was the first to notice him. "Cool!!" He screamed as he ran up to meet Inu-Yasha at the door. "But you should turn the hat the other way." Sota motioned for him to bend down then flipped the hat so that the visor was at the back of his head. "Wa-ay better." He stated as he ran back to get his grandfather. Inu-Yasha once again resorted to following him to the kitchen where Gramps stood waiting to leave.  
  
"Now that you are dressed we should get something to eat and then head back over to the hospital. Where do you want to go?"  
  
Sota was now jumping up and down at the prospect of eating. "Can we go to McDonalds?" Gramps looked over at Inu-Yasha.  
  
"What is McDonalds?" He asked. A squeal of delight from Sota as an answer.  
  
"Oh, you have to see! They have~~" And the boy was off naming everything on the menu and then trying to explain what it tasted like to Inu-Yasha. 


	9. 9

************  
  
Awakening  
  
************  
  
They once again jumped in the car and headed down yet more streets. To a small building with a red roof.  
  
"Yippee~ we're here!" Sota yelled like an eight year old boy usually did upon finding out that he was going to get food (fast food non the less).  
  
Once inside Inu-Yasha's eyes widened at the many people that were there, the sounds, and the smells being emitted from every corner of the place.  
  
"I guess it is safe to say that you have never had a hamburger, am I right?" inquired Gramps.  
  
Inu-Yasha nodded dumbly a 'yes', still wondering how the walls could light up like that. He had herd of lights but they were different colors, and everywhere!  
  
"Sota what do you want?" Gramps asked.  
  
"A hamburger happy meal!" replied the boy.  
  
"I'll just get you a regular old hamburger. Is that okay?"  
  
"Uh- what's a hamburger?"  
  
"Never mind- Just take Sota and go find a table."  
  
Sota jumped up at the commanded, "But there are not tables, Grandfather."  
  
"Well, then we'll just have to go eat in the car."  
  
"Next." The woman behind the counter stated. With that all other conversation between the three stopped as Gramps order the food. Not ten minutes later they were sitting in the car eating the fattening foods. Inu- Yasha found that these 'hamburgers' were almost as good as the ramen Kagome would bring and make for him.  
  
That's right--Kagome. 'How is she? Is she all right? Are the 'doctors' helping her like the old crone and Kagome's mother said that they would? I don't like them.' He thought and with that thought Gramps began to speak up.  
  
"Now I think that we better get back to the hospital and see how Kagome is doing, ne?" He put the key in the ignition and began to back out the parking space. "You know you really gave the nurses and doctors a scare?"  
  
"Ya, even the security guards were freaking out!"  
  
"See, we have these things called cameras and they take pictures and display them on a screen in a separate room to make sure nothing goes wrong. Well, you jumping in threw the window, and magically appearing in the middle of everything, they thought that you were some kind of ghost from the past."  
  
"But they were only half right, huh?" Sota would have been rolling on the ground with laughter if he weren't held down by a seatbelt. Wipping tears away from his eyes he was able to say. "They even had to send in a new-be doctor to go check what was happening." And with that he was off again. But Inu-Yasha wasn't paying any attention to him he was looking out of the window at the dark clouds rolling in.  
  
A half an hour later they were standing outside the hospital. Even though it was only a little past noon, the windows were lit up with the lights of every room on, preparing for the storm to hit. Inu-Yasha could smell the oncoming storm approach it filled his lungs with a musky and cold smell. Then he caught it- a smell he'd been longing to smell for the past three hours since he had left the hospital room, it was faint, but it was still there for him to behold.  
  
Inu-Yasha lost it at this point. He was running across the parking lot following Kagome's fragrance as it constantly tried to evade his grasp. He was sprinting at top speed almost to fast for anyone to see. Then he stopped-right n front of Kagome's mother. She had her face in her hands and her back up against the wall opposite of what he preserved to be Kagome's room. She was slowly sliding down the wall, threatening to hit the floor. Inu-Yasha placed his arm out to grab her shoulder as an old man screamed out, "What's happened?"  
  
"I don't know!!!" Came the muffled reply, sending a fresh stream of water into her hands.  
  
Inu-Yasha didn't need any more incentive. He pushed open the door to see about five people in white standing around Kagome with frantic looks on their faces. They had placed two square blocks on her chest as one of the doctors screamed, "Now!"  
  
There was jolting sound and Kagome jumped into the air. The buzzing sound of the monitor next to him stopped and began a steady *bleeping* sound. All the doctors let out a sigh of relief and now turned to see Inu-Yasha standing in the door way, eyes wide open starring at them. As they looked passed him, they saw Mrs. Higurashi grabbing onto Grandfather Higurashi who was at this point trying his best to comfort her and stop her bawling.  
  
"Excuse me, sir." One of the doctors spoke up attempting to leave.  
  
"What the hell happened?!" he screamed into the doctor's face.  
  
"She lost her pulse for a moment, sir. But she will be fine now." With that the doctor pushed around Inu-Yasha he was soon followed by a machine being pushed by two other 'healer-people'. Two other women stayed behind one checking up one Kagome's condition and the other talking to Mrs. Higurashi and Gramps. Sota was standing on chair leaning over Kagome's bed.  
  
Inu-Yasha took that fateful step forward, looking down over Kagome's, seemingly, a sleeping body. He reached out and touched her hand. With no response he grasped her hand fully, lifting it slightly off the crisp sheets that had been placed over her.  
  
The only people in the room now are Inu-Yasha, Sota, and Kagome. Muffled noises could be heard outside the door in the sterilized hallway; however, Inu-Yasha wasn't listening. The hanyu was staring intently at Kagome almost willing her to awaken. 'Kagome, wake up!' was repeated so many times in his head that he lost count after the first minute of the repeated statement.  
  
All poor Sota could do was stand there, on his chair, and watch as Inu- Yasha stared at his sister. The unmoving mass under a pair of sterile sheets, lying in a bed he didn't know if his sister would ever see.  
  
~~Meanwhile~~in the past~~  
  
"Will, Kagome be all right, Kaede?" The small bundle of fir was sitting in the old miko's lap staring at her like the small child he was.  
  
Kaede was truly speechless. But none the less she answered him with a soft smile, "I am sure Inu-Yasha is doing everything he can to make sure that she is."  
  
Though this didn't at all answer Shippo's question, it still gave him a small relief to know that Inu-Yasha wouldn't let any harm pass Kagome-chan. He nuzzled his face into the old woman for a moment before jumping out of her lap and out the door. He ran as fast as his little feet could carry him strait to the well. Upon meeting it he leapt down it landing safely at the bottom. "You better not let her die, Inu-Yasha!" He screamed to get out all of his emotions. Then in a quieter voice he added, "Or don't you dare come back." The kitsune sat down there. To him, Kagome was so close, yet so far away when he sat there.  
  
Miroku and Sango could be found not to far off from the well. They were sitting near a river, in between the village and the portal. Although it was not the warmest of weathers, Sango still found some comfort sitting there with her feet hanging in the water. She had reluctantly allowed the 'monk' the come along and so far his hands had stayed to himself and she was glade about that. Unbeknownst to her; Miroku had every intention to not grope her that day. He just didn't feel up to it. (Not like he was ever up to getting slapped in the face or hit with that over sized boomerang of hers any day to begin with.) But it was to much of a depressing day to really do anything but wait for Inu-Yasha to return from the future with Kagome.  
  
"Miroku-? Do you think Kagome will be coming back?" Sango asked barely above a whisper.  
  
"What makes you ask a question like that?" He looked at her with wide eyes. 'All though I must have asked myself that same question about ten times today.' "Of course she's coming back. You know Inu-Yasha won't let anything bad happen to her."  
  
"I hope you're right."  
  
*******  
  
".and you say that they just disappeared down a-what was it? A well--?"  
  
"Yes, Lord Iyo, sir. He jumped right down the Bone Eaters Well with the girly." Obi explained to his master.  
  
"And why did you not follow them?" He said with straining patience, the Shikon Jewel grasped tightly in his right hand.  
  
"Me tried but was unable to get through. It's magiced to only let them pass, me thinks, sire." Obi replied, trembling from the looks his 'master' was giving him.  
  
Lord Iyo turned to look out across a dead tree landscape. "Is doesn't matter as soon as the bastard hanyu comes back I'll kill him-and the girl- the girl is all ready as good as dead. Obi! Rah! Go to the well and don't you dare comeback until Inu-Yasha is dead!  
  
It was now 11:34pm, the sun had set and nothing could be seen of the sky above, do to the vast spans of rain clouds that had yet to let any water fall from them. Inu-Yasha's transformation had been completed but, it wasn't like anyone there either cared or noticed that his hair had changed color. The Higurashis had left a while ago. Gramps took Sota home because he had school tomorrow and for all he knew Mrs. Higurashi was still pacing the waiting room. Kagome was still asleep- passed out- in a coma. . . whatever you would like to call it. However, she was steadily getting warmer, and her skin was becoming tinted with a hint of pink. All of this was good in the doctors 'books'. Or at least that was what they kept telling him.  
  
Now Inu-Yasha was sleeping in the chair he had taken from Sota right after he left. His left hand was now enclosed around Kagome's right one, while his right arm was thrown over her stomach. His head was beside her and he would have been looking strait at her if his eyes had been open. His sunglasses were askew on his face still threatening to fall off, and his baseball cap lay discarded at the end of her bed.  
  
'Where am I?' She asked herself. Kagome opened her eyes slightly as a hospital room fell into place. 'How did I get here?' She turned her head to look at a human Inu-Yasha lying asleep beside her. 'Why is Inu-Yasha in clothes from my time and lying next to me?' She tried to move her arms and fond that it was near impossible. She felt pain all over her body and did her best to try and not scream, by biting her lower lip, but never the less some sound still escaped her.  
  
Inu-Yasha rolled his head a little and then noticed that Kagome was awake and in pain. He stood up knocking over his chair in the process.  
  
"Kagome-Kagome what's wrong?" He asked in a hurry. He still had her hand in his. "Just relax. It'll be okay. Just. . . you have to calm down."  
  
Kagome took three deep breathes and tried to relax her shocked muscles. Which for the most part worked but, her body still felt sore in some places. Inu-Yasha just looked at her.  
  
'She's finally awake. . .'He thought, and then sighed in relief.  
  
All Kagome could do was just stare at him in disbelief. 'He brought me home? And stayed with me through out the whole time? Is he sick, too? But that dream. . . really freaked me out. What happened to me?'  
  
"Inu-Yasha. . . " she said with tears beginning to fill her eyes. "I had the scariest dream. . . and I thought I was going to die." She swallowed hard to try and clear her throat.  
  
Inu-Yasha silently moved forward and placed his free arm over her once more and pulled her into a gentle hug. ". . .and that's all that it is. . . " He whispered to her. "A dream."  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~^^*^^~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
"This is where he disappeared, huh?"  
  
"Aye, me lord."  
  
"And it was only him and Kagome?"  
  
Obi nodded once in agreement. "If I may ask, sire, why are you so interested in the girl? Ye all ready have the tama {jewel}."  
  
"It is not necessarily the girl, Obi, but the rules." With that he turned and walked into Inu-Yasha's forest.  
  
As he walked he turned the Shikon no Tama in his hands. Holding it before him memorizing its every curve, every cut, and every swirl of color on and in it. His eyes had turned a dark blood red and there was not a sign of life in them. Then out of no where he began to speak in a soft, dark voice, "The worlds a game Inu-Yasha. . . And in games there are rules. . . And from those rules come loop-pulls and clever ways of cheating. Ye, may have found one (a clever one I must admit) but, when a player is caught cheating. . . there is always a penalty."  
  
Obi stared up into the trees watching Rah look at their lord. Rah turned his head back and gave a slight shrug of his shoulders to show that he had no idea of what was going on. Then followed their master into the forest heading to a village that was not to far off. 


	10. 10

************* Punishment ***************  
  
They walked for about 30 minutes before they reached there destination. It was a small, poor village on the edge of Inu-Yasha's forest.  
  
It was a quiet night and only the crickets and stars seemed to be awake. Past a dip in the hill, they were currently standing on, was one lone hut standing out against the others.  
  
"This will do." He muttered into the darkness; his two followers staring uncertainly up at him.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~^^^^^^^^**^^^^^^^^^~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
"Is this a dream? Are you real?" Kagome whispered slowly; looking at him as if he could turn to dust and blow away in the chill wind at any moment.  
  
Inu-Yasha pulled away to look her strait in the eyes and said. . . "I'm real, Kagome." He laid her back down on the bed and put a hand up to feel her face. The gesture was a win-win situation. You see, first he needed to feel for a temperature and second he just wanted to touch her face. Just to make sure that she was real, herself.  
  
She was a little warm (but she'd had worse) and of course she was real. Inu- Yasha was so relieved that before removing his hand he placed a soft kiss on her forehead. Leaving behind a very wide eye, doped up on medications, and not in the best of mental health's at the moment, Kagome.  
  
"Everything is going to be okay now, Kagome, nothing else bad is going to happen to you for a long time."  
  
Regaining back her mind she mumbled back, "Promise?"  
  
Inu-Yasha smirked a little and nodded a 'yes'.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~^^^^^^^^**^^^^^^^^~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
While in the past, the dark night sky is being lit up by a fire that by the looks of it is not a pleasure fire. Screams and yelps for help could be heard from every where. The villagers could be seen running and scrambling into the forest trying to find cover in the thick foliage and under growth. While a small (and I mean very small) group of men tried to save the lasting remains of the town.  
  
"Sango!? Sango!? Where are you!?" Miroku rushed into a burning hut that looked suspiciously like Keade's.  
  
"Cough! Cough!"  
  
"Sango is that you!?" He ran to the back of the hut and finally found her under on of the main support beams for the house. "Come on! We've got to get out of here; this entire place is going to cave in!" When she did not reply he placed his right arm under her shoulders and the other he put under her knees. Then he ran as fat as he could out of the hut and a few moments later the entire structure collapsed behind them.  
  
"Miroku!! Did you find her?" Kaede came running up behind him with a frightened Shippo in her arms.  
  
"Yeah, Yeah I've got her." He replied while turning around. "Do you know where Kirara is?"  
  
"Aye. . . She is helping some of the villagers out of their houses and escorting them into the forest." And with a solemn look on her face she added, "What did this?"  
  
"I don't know. . . But what ever did, let us hope it does not return before Inu-Yasha. . . And Lady Kagome." He answered before heading off into the forest with everyone else.  
  
Not too soon after, rain began to pour out of the sky quenching the fires thirst. Turning the burnt houses into smoldering piles of ash and burnt wood.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~^^^^^^^**^^^^^^^~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
The pitter platter of rain could be heard, when it began to hit the window. Finally, it had started to rain and about five minutes of listening to the gentle and soothing sound of it. Thunder and lightning decided to make their appearances'.  
  
Kagome had a death-grip on Inu-Yasha's hand and Inu-Yasha didn't mind one bit. Kagome knew that his presence meant that she was safe but, the sickening feeling that something was really wrong would not leave her.  
  
Inu-Yasha could see the solemn look on Kagome's face. It seemed as if she were deep into thought and that something was bothering her. She had his hand in a death grip; that was beginning to become a little tight for even him.  
  
"What's wrong Kagome?" He whispered to her his face now lying back on the bed in the same position it was into begin with.  
  
"Huh?" She said breaking from her trance. "Oh. . . Nothing." She began to wave it off when he quickly replied.  
  
"My hand says other wise." He smirked but, Kagome ignored him and began to look off into nothing-ness again; when he repeated. "What's wrong Kagome?" A worried look began to appear on his face when she finally let go of his hand.  
  
"I-It's just. . . Well, I keep on having this feeling that. . . Something's just not quite right." She turned to look at him and found that he was staring at her with an unbroken, very intense gaze.  
  
He began to lean forward and soon their lips met, in a soft chaste kiss. Reluctantly, Inu-Yasha pulled away and opened his eyes; as Kagome did the same.  
  
"Didn't I tell you that everything is okay?" She was still a bit dazed by their kiss and didn't really hear him however; she nodded her head in agreement.  
  
The rain had soon become a down pour. The ground was no longer solid but, a big mush of mud and diluted blood. Kaede had lead them all to a makeshift village that was set up. It was in Inu-Yasha's forest under the protection of the trees against the rain and consisted of a few messily tents and lean- to's. If one were to walk through it at the moment they would think it to be a war camp after an unsuccessful battle. And really. . . They wouldn't be to far off.  
  
Sango had been laid out on the ground with Kirara by her side. Kaede was off helping the other wounded villagers with the help of Shippo. Miroku stood above Sango, his back against a tree, just staring out over everything. The demons that did this were long gone but the storm was getting worse and it seemed that it wouldn't stop for quite some time. Every so often Sango would mumble or shift and he'd jump over to her side in a flash.  
  
To him it seemed like she was having a dream and not a good one at that. She was getting so restless that even Kirara was about to abandon her side to go somewhere where she would not get swished.  
  
Finally Miroku gave up on Keade's words, "All she needs is rest. Let her be." and placed a hand on her shoulder and shaking her soft enough that it wouldn't hurt her but, firm enough that it would still wake her up.  
  
Sango mumbled a little, and then began to open her eyes. May be that was a mistake Miroku's face was right in front of hers and she jumped accidentally brushing her lips against his cheek.  
  
He smiled one of his lecherous grins that was promptly followed by a *crack* of hand meeting face. The sound echoed throughout the camp and everyone that could, stopped what they were doing and risked a glance at the 'couple'.  
  
Needless to say Kaede was by there side only a second after the afore mentioned slap took place.  
  
"What has happened my child?" She asked with alarm. She knew that the monk had done something to upset her but she had never slapped him as hard as she had done only a minute before.  
  
"He. . ." She stammered pointing at Miroku all the while staring wide eyed at him.  
  
By this time Kaede had waved everyone back to work. Ignoring the wide eyed Sango she turned to Miroku.  
  
"Maybe I should explain what is going on to her. Thee should go help calm the villagers and secure the encampment."  
  
"Hai. {yes}" He said softly and bowed before he turned, to leave; walking down across the camp.  
  
"Now, what happened?" Kaede prodded once more.  
  
"When. . . I awoke. . . He was. . . and then I jumped. . . and accidentally. . . kissed-him." Throughout the course of this one sentence about a million hand signs were used. If Kaede were not all ready sitting down, she would no doubt have fallen over in confusion.  
  
Regaining her regal miko-like posture she smiled her all knowing smile and as she placed a hand on the ground, readying herself to stand again she asked, "And this is a 'bad' thing?"  
  
Sango almost face faltered into the awaiting mud. "Nani!?! {What!?!}  
  
With a chuckle Kaede promptly ignored her sudden outburst and began to explain all that had happened in the last six hours.  
  
"It was late in the night. . ."  
  
Miroku had just fallen asleep and the winds carried the sound of rustling leaves and some distant wild life; when all throughout the village a terrible sound erupted. A howling laughter followed by "This will teach him to cheat!" screeched at the top of 'his' lungs.  
  
"I ran outside to see what the commotion was about thinking that it might have been another dunker rambling his non-sense. However it was not. . ." A solemn reflective look crossed her gaze as she continued. "The demon was swift and came down upon the village within the blink of an eye. He didn't go after the villagers them selves but, more the building standing in his way. I rushed inside to warn you. But I, alas, was only able to awaken the monk before he hit the shrine."  
  
FLASHBACK  
  
There was and earth shattering BOOM and a sickening crack as Kaede can be seen rushing into the hut to awaken the monk and demon slayer. She had managed to shake Miroku back to life just as the dry old house became ablaze. Kirara had been outside at the time and also scrambled to get Sango out of the way of falling pieces of roof.  
  
"Kirara! Go help the others!" Kaede ordered grabbing Shippo and raced back out the door as fast as her old legs could take her. Kirara, though reluctantly, followed the command. Miroku followed suit however as soon as he stepped foot out the door something hit him, "Sango!" He gasped. "Sango!? Where are you!?"  
  
He rushed back inside to find Sango lying motionless on the ground gasping and choking for breathe.  
  
"And with you in his arms her rushed back outside. Meeting me on the way to the forest camp." Kaede looked around to find that Sango was no where in sight. "Child? Sango?" And then smiling once more, she went along with her other duties as a miko. 


	11. 11

A week had all ready past and Kagome was being released from the hospital today. The sun was up and shinning down upon the damp earth. The rain had not let up for all most the whole time she was in the hospital.  
  
Kagome was in high spirits about getting to finally walk around. Inu-Yasha had not let her get up or move around out side of her bed for the entire time she was being hospitalized. And not being able to 'sit' him with all the people and security cameras around just added to the tension.  
  
Inu-Yasha was happy about Kagome being alive and in an optimistic mood herself. But like hell, would he let it show!  
  
The car ride home was pretty uneventful.  
  
{So let's skip to something worth reading shall we? . ^_-. }  
  
"Bye Mom, Sota. . . Gramps!" Kagome screamed while entering the well house.  
  
"BYE!" They called back in unison.  
  
She walked inside to find Inu-Yasha staring up at her. . . kinda' weird. But in a flash it was gone. He grabbed the bag that was behind him. Then turned to face her once again but, only with his intent to take the jewel back showing on his face.  
  
"You're late. . . AGAIN!"  
  
While walking down the steps -slowly- she replied quickly and quietly, "sit." The big mouthed hanyou promptly obeyed and ended face flat on the floor. A mumbling that sound much like "bitch" was heard from Inu-Yasha but, was soon covered over by Kagome stating.  
  
"Man, that felt good!" Kagome was now standing in front of Inu-Yasha in sweat pants and a heavy winter coat. Inu-Yasha at this point began to peel himself off of the floor and stood in front of Kagome.  
  
"Keh. . ." Was the only word heard from him as he jumped out of the present and into the past. Kagome was about to follow when she noticed her pack behind the well she was standing in front of.  
  
"HEY!!! WHAT ABOUT MY BACK PACK???"  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~In the Past with our oh so loved hanyou~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
'Right about now she's probably noticed I didn't take her pack.' Inu-Yasha smirked evilly then he noticed something. The air was heavy like a large amount of smoke had just recently passed through the area. 'Maybe I should tell Kagome to stay. . .'  
  
"Inu-Yasha!!!"  
  
'To late.'  
  
"Can you take my pack?" She was all ready tying to haul her new green back pack out of the well.  
  
"You know you don't need half of the stuff you put in those retched things." He retorted only partially listening. Most of his mind was on trying to figure out what had happened while they were gone.  
  
By now she had made it out of the well in one peace and with a THUUD~ the pack in question was placed right in front of Inu-Yasha's feet. With out even a second thought he picked it up and started walking to Keade's village hoping that everything was going all right  
  
"Inu-Yasha. . . Is everything okay?" Kagome asked a little timidly.  
  
"Feh. . ." Was her only verbal answer but, the look on his face spoke volumes more. His back was strait, with Kagome's pack thrown over his shoulder, and eyes dead set on searching and looking for any sight of life.  
  
And that's when she noticed it. . .  
  
There was no wildlife- ANYWHERE. It was like something just came through picked up all of the animals and left.  
  
They were nearing the village now, just over the hill and she would have seen the peaceful group of houses that she had begun to think about as a second home.  
  
But that wasn't what she saw.  
  
What met her instead was a half burnt down- mess. That was the only thing she could think of to describe it, a mess. They both stopped on the top of the hill over looking the once was village.  
  
"It can't be. . ." Kagome's mind reeled with 'why and how' this had happened.  
  
'Could it be that demon from earlier that did this?' Inu Yasha questioned to himself.  
  
"No. . ." Kagome whispered, bringing her hands to cover her trembling lips.  
  
'He all ready has the shards what more does he want?' "Come on Kagome." Inu- Yasha began to walk down to the "mess" but, Kagome couldn't take it. As soon as Inu-Yasha moved Kagome leapt off ahead of him. Making a mad dash for Keade's hut (or what had been Keade's hut).  
  
She was running so fast that Inu-Yasha just stood there like a rock and stared at her. When she was about 3/4 there he jumped off after her. By the time he reached her, she was all ready on her knees bawling her eyes out.  
  
"Kagome. . ." His voice was shaking and didn't know what he could or would say to her.  
  
What do you say to some that just lost all of her friends to some unknown enemy that's still out there?  
  
***************************  
  
"This can't be happening... This can't be happening... This can't-"  
  
She had been like this for hours. Just chanting like this; hands over her eyes, rocking slightly back and forth. Hoping that it was all just a bad nightmare. 'Inu-Yasha promised me that nothing bad was going to happen. He promised!'  
  
That was it.  
  
She had cracked and now was flat out bawling at Inu-Yasha's feet.  
  
Inu-Yasha was panicking by now. 'What happened. . . Well, I know that she shouldn't be happy about all this but. . .' He leaned over and pulled her into a kneeling position so that his face was level with her's. "Kagome SNAP OUT OF IT!!!"  
  
This did not solve anything. She stopped for a brief moment and then put her arms around his neck and cried softly into his shoulder. But he could hear her mumbling something to him. He pulled her back and tilted his head so that his ear was almost brushing up against her nose.  
  
"You.. . . You said. . . That it was all okay now. N-Nothing bad was going to happen." She mumbled this out just in time as she was pulled back into his embrace.  
  
"There was no fucking way I could have known that something like this could happen." He slightly yelled back at her, then he mumbled to him self, "No fucking way in hell."  
  
Back at camp with the rest of our not so dead crew  
  
Kaede Knew what she had to do and it wasn't going to be pretty. She stood upon a rock while all of the village waited for what she had to say.  
  
She took a deep breath of air and then with everything in her she began her speech. "We cannot stay here any longer. The fields are burnt and our houses destroyed. The winter 'twill be upon us soon and we need to find shelter before the first snow fall." [Another deep breath] "That 'tis why I propose we move as close as we can to our emergency storages. 'Twill be leaving by noon today and 'twill reach them by sun down tomorrow."  
  
There was slight murmur in the crowed when Kaede stepped down from her rock. And began to walk to where Sango and Miroku were packing to leave.  
  
Miroku looked up and nodded in agreement where Kaede looked at him. But others in there group were not as solemn as the monk.  
  
"I agree with you Kaede on your decision but, what should we do if Inu- Yasha and Kagome were to return while we are gone?" Sango inquired as Shippo looked up to hear her answer.  
  
"Hopefully Inu-Yasha will be able to track us. If not they will have to be on there own for the time being."  
  
"So we should just leave them?!" Shippo blurted out.  
  
"We are going to have to. The villagers need our help right now more so then Inu-Yasha." Miroku answered sagely.  
  
Shippo nodded in understanding as he left to help some of the villagers as Miroku suggested.  
  
Sango, Miroku, and Kaede all finished packing what little they had left in relative silence. Then they gathered every one together and were soon off to their new home. 


	12. 12

Authors/Ramblings:: You have no idea how much I love everyone that has reviewed so far!!! THANX GUYS [GALLS] I also need a bit of help I can't decide who Inu-Yasha and Kagome should run into next. PLEASE HELP ME OUT!!!  
  
DISCLAIMER: I don't think I've put one of these up here yet. Well, any ways, do you think that if I owned any of the IY gang that I would be sitting here writing fanfiction?  
  
:::NOW ON WITH THE CHAPTER:::  
  
It was late at night. Kagome had cried herself to sleep in Inu-Yasha's embrace and Inu-Yasha was still refusing to put her down. So now they were both leaned up against a near by tree; Kagome encircled by Inu-Yasha's strong arms.  
  
'What are we going to do now? Winter is going to be here soon, we have no place for shelter in this time, it is getting really dangerous, and that mad man is still out there.'  
  
"Inu-Yasha. . ." Kagome mumbled into his chest still asleep. "Don't, don't leave me. . . Please. . . Don't leave me, too."  
  
"I won't leave you, Kagome." He said silently while stroking her hair. She once again calmed down and her breath's were coming out deep and even showing the signs that she had once again fallen into a deep slumber.  
  
But while all of this was happening a lone figure stood upon the God tree and watched the resting pair. "This might work out better than I had intentionally planed; they seem to have become closer. Hmm... I wonder how he will deal with this..."  
  
Not to long after the wind began to shift and the air was becoming stale however, Inu-Yasha didn't seem to notice. His eye lids were becoming heavy and he let out a small yawn. "No I have to stay awake and pro-tect Ka..." The last of that sentence was never uttered.  
  
"Sweet dreams." Lord Iyo mockingly said to the night as he watched the hanyou give into the sleep that was so tempting; as a light flurry of snow began to fall.  
  
********************************************************************** Inu-Yasha seemed to finally realize what had happened. What he had done... He slowly unclenched his hands and brought them up to his face to see the blood that covered them. 'Her blood...'  
  
The Tetusaiga lay discarded not to far away. Still clean a red seeped into the snow around it.  
  
The wind was cold and the snow was so thick it seemed everything were just a mass of white and red. All life had perished... every thing... gone. How could this have happened? He closed his eyes knowing exactly what had happened. "I did it." He answered himself, 'I did it... Me and my fucking self. Killed her... killed everything.'  
  
He fell to his knees at the sight of her body lying there cold and lifeless. There was still I little color in her cheeks but, that would soon be gone. One solemn tear ran down the side of his face. Then it was soon followed by another one ... and another one. Until he couldn't stop him self...  
  
He was losing it... His body trembled but, not because of the wind. 'I lost control. But it wasn't me... he... HE...' The growl started in the back of his throat and then erupted into the surrounding space.  
  
A mix of grief, desperation, and anger filled him as he picked up her body; silent tears still cascading down his face.  
  
The scenery began to shift. A whirl wind of colors surrounded him as a new picture, a new reality made it self present.  
  
"I'm so glad you could join me Inu-Yasha. Won't you have a seat?" HE motioned to the chair across from him. They were in a pitch black room with only two earth worn chairs facing each other in the middle of it all. "Come, COME now Inu-Yasha. I don't bite... On most occasions." He said smoothly with a small chuckle at his own joke.  
  
Inu-Yasha looked suspiciously around at the evading darkness. Then slowly sat down...  
  
"Now, now what are we going to do with you Inu-Yasha? Honestly you should know that in a game you are not allowed to lea--" He whispered partially to himself but, something was happy and HE didn't look to happy about it.  
  
Everything was fading out... "Inu-Yasha, Inu-Yasha time to wake up, Inu- Yasha come on this isn't funny... INU-YASHA WAKE UP!!!"  
  
He finally began to stir slightly. "Geez, bitch could you yell any louder?"  
  
"I've been trying to wake you up for the past half an hour now. You started to scare me there..." She admitted.  
  
He finally sat up looking around. It had snowed while he slept. Kagome sat kneeled in front of him with a thick blanket wrapped around herself and her bag by her side.  
  
"Inu-Yasha are you all right? Are you sick?" She asked out of concern as she reached up to touch his forehead. When she spoke little clouds of smoke would appear then dissipate as if they were never there to begin with.  
  
"Feh, I'm fine." He said swiping her hand away from his face.  
  
She sat back and looked at him then asked, "What now?"  
  
"We should continue on to the next village before you freeze to death, then from there look for any more shards, and then kill both those bastards."  
  
"Hai." She nodded and stood up taking a last look at the once was village. She bowed, 'Rest in peace' Then walked off following Inu-Yasha.  
  
"In-u-Ya-sha..." She said between chattering teeth and running t catch up with him. .  
  
"Eh?" He responded.  
  
"Who, do you think...ki...?"  
  
"...Killed every one?" He finished for her.  
  
"Hai." Was her answer to him once again.  
  
"Naraku; no doubt but I wouldn't put it past that Iyo bastard either." Inu- Yasha spat out, getting mad at just the thought of them.  
  
They had been walking for about an hour now in silence. The sun had hid it self behind some clouds and a white slush, that wasn't quiet snow, began falling upon our traveling companions.  
  
Kagome griped the blanket closer to herself shifting the bag slightly on her back. She was starting to lag behind Inu-Yasha who seemed unaltered by the weather. "I-Inu-Yasha wait up!" She called when he was about 50 yards ahead of her.  
  
He stopped an turned around looking for the first time to see Kagome struggling and trying to keep up with him. She was shivering, he could see that, and the blanket she had in her hands was soaked through. It was more of a hindrance than help. He walked over to her and griped the edge of her blanket. He unwrapped her from it and threw the wet mass of cloth to the ground.  
  
"INU-YASHA! I need that, wha-"She began to pick up the blanket when he stopped her by grabbing her arm. He took the bag without speaking and put it on the ground then he took of his haori (the red jacket).  
  
"Hold this." He said in a mono tone voice as he handed it to her, then bent over motioning for her to get on. Inu-Yasha, after all this, took his haori back and put it back on over the both of them.  
  
He then took off running to the next village. "Inu-Yasha what about my bag!?"  
  
"You have the jewel right?" He answered her question with one of his own.  
  
"Yeah." She nodded numbly into his back, which was quiet warm.  
  
"Then you don't need it, it will only slow us down and that is not a wise thing in this type of weather."  
  
"..." Kagome didn't know what to say to that. He was thinking for once and actually making sense to her.  
  
So she didn't do any thing. She just sat there, on Inu-Yasha's back, snuggling deeper into his warmth when a particularly strong gust of wind came.  
  
Flashes of a seen similar to this one crossed his mind. As they did he couldn't help it when he pulled her closer to his back, trying to keep her warm. In response to this she wrapped her arms around his neck and tried to hide her red cheeks in his silver hair.  
  
"There..." He said after another hour of him running.  
  
A village a little larger then Keade's came into view. Fires were lit in all the homes and some children where being pulled back into there house by their parents; a sign another storm was coming. He slowed as he entered the inn. Inu-Yasha reluctantly let Kagome down and then slipped his haori back on. They walked into the tavern/inn to find a few rowdy men sitting at a table at the back corner of the room.  
  
Kagome grabbed onto his hand as they walked past them. 'They give me the creeps.' She thought.  
  
Inu-Yasha had walked strait past them, ignoring them all together, as he walked a 'b' line to the owner. 


	13. HELP

I HAVE A QUESTION!!!  
  
WHO WOULD YOU LIKE TO SEE KAGOME AND INU-YASHA RUN INTO NEXT?  
  
SESSHOMARU  
KOUGA  
LORD IYO  
LORD IYO'S MINIONS  
KIKYO  
OTHER____________  
  
You can give me your answer in a review or e-mail me at Kicks2787@cox.net  
  
THANX FOR READING  
!!!!REVIEW!!!! 


	14. chapter after 12

::: A BIG THANK YOU TO :::  
  
mew_mew128 -thanks for the suggestion I'm going to try and add in some humor soon (hopefully)  
  
Mai - thanks for the suggestion ^_- I might just use that.  
  
Kagome-Inuyasha - thanks for the suggestion and thanks for reading I'm glade you like it  
  
Sesshomaru lover - well, here it is.  
  
AN:: I think that I will be changing the rating of this fic to rated 'R', but if I turn it into a lemon or lime I don't know yet. It'll probably have some citrus at the end of this one. (More Fluff than citrus probably but be warned.) Hey, I also LOVE to talk to people an I have yahoo, aol, and msn IMs so Im me some time. (all info is in my biography)  
  
!!!THANX 4 READING!!!  
  
Chapter ??? The Mysterious Reveling of Onigumos' past  
  
The owner was a medium sized man with a residing line of gray/white hair that was long enough to be pulled into a pony-tail. He stunk of alcohol and smoke, but looked fairly up-kept.  
  
He looked up from the pieces of paper that were in front of him, to stare at Inu-Yasha's face but it didn't stay there for long when he noticed Kagome who was looking around the room nervously. 'Hmm. . . What a pretty little girl. . .' the owner thought to him self. 'I could find some uses for her. But first the man. . .'  
  
The owner put on a fake smile and looked up at Inu-Yasha once again. "And how my I help ye?" He asked in a sweet tone of voice, one that could only compare to Miroku's ominous cloud act voice.  
  
"We need a place to rest for the night." He answered while putting his hand in Kagome's and pulling her closer.  
  
The owner looked them up and down and then asked, "And how would ye be paying for this room?"  
  
"Well. . . Ano. . ." Inu-Yasha hadn't thought of how he was going to pay for the room usually the monk took care of that. "There must be something I could do in exchange for a room for the night."  
  
"Hummm. . ." The man said placing a thumb to his chin leaning back some, "There is something but, I don't think ye could do it." He said looking past Inu-Yasha. Inu-Yasha, seeing the look on the man's face stepped fully in front of Kagome so that the owner could no longer see any of Kagome.  
  
"No. . . Way. . ." Inu-Yasha said seething.  
  
Seeing Inu-Yasha's intense (and very much pissed off) stare he laughed nervously then started to chuckle. "Ho, ho, young man, I was only kidding. Actually there is something ye could do. There are some crates in our storage room that need to be moved and I'm not as strong as I used to be."  
  
Kagome all of the sudden forgot about the trio of drunken eyes that were looking at her and turned to the manager. "So we can stay?!" she asked in an, almost, over excited voice.  
  
"Hai." He said with a nod.  
  
"Feh. . ." was all Inu-Yasha said to all of this.  
  
"Now if you will fallow me I will show ye to your room." He stood and walked down a dimly lit hallway at the back of the main room; that was now void of any living creature. They kept walking past about four or five doors before they met another connecting hallway. They turned right and stopped at the second door on the left which the manager of the inn opened. "This will be your room." He said turning to leave. "I will meet ye *pointing to Inu-Yasha* at the bar in ten minutes time." Then, finally, he left sliding the door closed behind him.  
  
"Kagome. . ." Inu-Yasha said in a hushed but urgent voice. "Stay away from everyone here and don't leave my sight."  
  
"Hai, but. . ." she began.  
  
"Do you need to ask?" Inu-Yasha said cutting her off. Kagome nodded 'no'. "Just stay with me." He said placing a hand on her shoulder and leaning in to kiss her forehead. Kagome took off her now slightly dampened coat and gloves, leaving her scarf and hat in place and then left with Inu-Yasha to meet the man in the bar.  
  
They walked back the way that they came past a few doors, to other rooms, and then turned left. The three men that were in the bar earlier where now standing talking in the junction between the hallway and the main room, where the bar was located.  
  
One man was tall and looked built under his over sized crumpled cream shirt (that looked to have once been white) he had messy un-kept brown hair that fell past his shoulders complete with a long brown beard and was standing in the middle of the hallway. One of the others had black hair and looked as if he hadn't shaved in two weeks. He was slightly shorter and holding up the last man who one could tell was dead drunk and leaning on him for support. However the men didn't seem to notice them, but Inu-Yasha grabbed Kagome's hand anyway.  
  
The three drunkards moved over to the right to let them pass. Once Inu- Yasha was past them the man that was holding the black haired man for support whispered in a slurred voice as Kagome passed.  
  
"Hey~b'by." Kagome squeezed Inu-Yasha's clawed hand and kept walking along. She could hear them snickering as they made there way to the bar where the owner stood cleaning glasses.  
  
"Oi, what do you need done?" Inu-Yasha called to him across the room.  
  
"I'll show ye in a moment. MIKA COME OUT HERE!" He yelled.  
  
"YEAH, YEAH. . . Ye' don't have'ta yell about it, Toji." An older woman came hobbling out of a door behind the bar. Mika (as the man had called her) had long black hair that was slightly turning grey at the roots she was about Kagome's height, but was hunched over making her seem shorter.  
  
"Take the girl to the kitchen and get them some food. I'll show this young man to his work."  
  
"Hai, hai. . . follow me." She said and then under her breath began muttering something that sounded like, "Cruddy old letch."  
  
"Oi, I heard that one!" Toji, retorted.  
  
Kagome gave Inu-Yasha one of those when-I-get-older-I'm-not-turning-out- like-them looks. Inu-Yasha returned her gaze and nodded for her to fallow Mika.  
  
~~~~~~With Mika and Kagome~~~~~~  
  
Kagome felt a little scared and sad leaving Inu-Yasha there at the bar, but she was hungry and knew that if anything bad were to happen all she had to do was to scream.  
  
"So what are ye doing out at a time like this?" Mika questioned.  
  
"What do you mean?"  
  
"In the middle of this storm. . . Ye must be crazy." Mika had set about heating an old pot over the fire and was busying herself trying to find clean bowls.  
  
"It's kinda' a long story." Kagome replied sheepishly.  
  
"Well, I'm all ears until the guys get back."  
  
"To start with I'm not from this time."  
  
"Time. . .?" Mika said as she looked at Kagome strait in the eyes.  
  
"Yes, I come from 500 years in the future."  
  
"So how did ye get here?" She pointed down toward the ground.  
  
"Well, it happened on my 15th birthday. . ."  
  
~~~~~~With Inu-Yasha and Toji~~~~~  
  
Inu-Yasha watched as Kagome left through the door at the back of the bar.  
  
"He-hem. . ."Toji cleared his throat, finally getting Inu-Yasha's attention. "This way." Toji turned and began to exit the bar into a storage room that was located through another door between the entrance door and the bar.  
  
The storage room was freezing! Inu-Yasha could see his and Toji's breathes in small puffs of white smoke. The room was dark light only by the opened door that seemed to lead to the kitchen where he could now see Kagome talking furiously with the old woman about something. He didn't have time to pick up on the conversation because Toji stated telling him what he wanted moved and where too.  
  
"I want you to get those boxes in the top corner over on the far right corner and put them next to the door to the kitchen and then to take those boxes *pointing to a new set of boxes* and take them in to the kitchen. . ." It seemed that he went on for some time by the time he was done talking Inu-Yasha was sure at least an hour had passed. His mind was reeling with 'lefts, rights, put in there, take it here, and stack it in the kitchen's that he just had to ask.  
  
"Un. . . Now, what do you want me to so again?"  
  
"Never mind I'll tell you as we go along." Toji sighed and sat on a step leading to the open kitchen door. "Just put those *pointing to a stack of boxes a corner* here. *pointing right next him.* Now. . ." He said turning to Kagome, who was now eating some leftover beef stew, and Mika. "What were m'ladies chattering about, over here?"  
  
Mika was the first to speak up. "Kagome was telling me about all the adventures she and her friends go on and how they ended up in the storm."  
  
"Really now?" stated Toji with a false look of surprise.  
  
"Yeah, it sounds a lot like what we used to do when we where younger, a little younger then you if I remember correctly. Only it was all just fun and games for us."  
  
Kagome had finished here stew and was now listening to the old couple converse and watching Inu-Yasha as he was being directed by the seemingly subconscious hand gestures Toji was using.  
  
"Heh, maybe for ye it was but. . ."  
  
"Well, if ye' would' of let me fight I could of helped you." Mika whined ('It's kinda' hard to believe she's not ten.' Kagome thought.)  
  
"Ye'd have just gotten in the way." Kagome turned her gaze back to the fuming pair and decided to change the subject, some what.  
  
"So who did you fight?" Kagome asked. 'Come on girl you could have thought of something better than that. . .well. . . at least they don't look like they want to kill each other now.'  
  
"The Gukku brothers." Toji said solemnly.  
  
"I wonder what ever happened to them?" Mika thought out loud.  
  
"Dead, I hope." Toji answered.  
  
"Why would you want them to be dead?"  
  
"The Gukku Brothers had a bit of a family feud going on."  
  
"A bit!!!" Mika screamed, "They would have killed each other given half the chance!"  
  
"Why?" Inu-Yasha, seemingly finished, came into the kitchen and sat next on Kagome's right side.  
  
"Well, for one thing one was human and the other a demon. They hated each other for that."  
  
"How is that possible?" Inu-Yasha asked know truly interested in the conversation.  
  
"Well," Toji started up, "You see both parents were hanyou's and there first born, Onigumo, was a full human and there second son, Iyako, came out a demon."  
  
"Wait, hold on a second! You telling me you two knew Onigumo?"  
  
"Yep, hate to say it. The bastard traitor. . ."  
  
"Well, what happened?" Kagome pressed.  
  
"Well, one day there was a procession of some sort that went through town. It was about some priestess or another. But that day it started to rain and they ended up stopping in our town for sometime. Actually they stayed in this very inn. It was a lot nicer back then and. . ." Mika could see where this was going and decided to take up the story.  
  
"Anyways, Onigumo at that time worked here and was set to take the priestess her dinner the second night of the rains. Well, one thing led to another and they became friends for the time she stayed here. Talked a lot and such. But when she left something in him clicked and he started to change. He got really quiet and all of the sudden disappeared. Even Iyako couldn't find him with all his demon senses."  
  
"Like he'd want to. I thought Iyako probably finally killed him until Onigumo came back with a gang of demons and attacked the village. Killed his own parents and most of the villagers. To make an even longer story short Onigumo had promised the demons, he brought along, that they would become the strongest being in all of Japan if they followed him and did as he said but they became restless and were impatient to begin with. . ."  
  
"Ended up attacking him and no one knows what it is that happened to him." Mika finished.  
  
"Like I said dead I hope. Before he left I heard that he was ranting about how he found away to become a demon."  
  
Kagome and Inu-Yasha both had there eye's wide open and were in some sort of a shock. 'Onigumo had a brother?' Kagome thought.  
  
"I hate to break it to ya' old man but he ain't dead." Inu-Yasha spoke breaking the uneasy silence.  
  
"How do ye' know?"  
  
"Ever heard of a demon named Naraku? He wasn't lying when he said he had found a way to turn demon."  
  
"Naraku. . .? Isn't that what that band of demons kept calling him?" Toji asked Mika who now had a look of shock on her face.  
  
"U-hu. . ." Mika nodded now seeing the connection between the two stories.  
  
"How do ye know of this?" Toji asked the group sitting in front of him. Inu- Yasha went to answer when Mika interrupted.  
  
"I'll tell ye, let them have some sleep they need it." Toji nodded to his wife and Kagome smiled in appreciation. Then grabbed Inu-Yasha's hand and began to stand. They walked to the door that lead to the bar but Kagome stopped and looked behind her asking. . .  
  
"Is there a bath anywhere around here?" Inu-Yasha turned to give her that look of 'you-not-going' but she countered it with her 'oh-yes-I-will-or- your-eating-wood'.(I love it how you can say so much with just one little look some times. ^_^)  
  
"Yes, if ye follow that hallway you're in all the way to the end then it will be the door on your left." Toji answered.  
  
"Thank you." Kagome bowed politely and then left with a fuming hanyou.  
  
Toji and Mika looked at each other sharing a small smile and an understanding smile.  
  
The hallway was a lot cooler than the kitchen where they were sitting next to a cooking fire. It was pitch black and Kagome had grabbed onto Inu- Yasha's hand so that he could guide her to there room. Once they got there he let go of her hand and lit a candle with the matches that Kagome always had stowed away in her pants pocket.  
  
"I don't want you going tonight." Inu-Yasha said turning around to face her after the candle was lit.  
  
"Inu-Yasha I am filthy and cold. I can get clean and warm and be out in ten minutes tops. That's all." She said flatly.  
  
"No. Who knows where those drunkards are now?"  
  
"Then you can sit outside the door and wait for me. How's that?"  
  
"Wait until tomorrow."  
  
"Inu-Yasha! S-!" Before she could finish the command Inu-Yasha had pulled her forward and placed his lips on hers. He wrapped his arms around her and broke the kiss resting his chin on her head. 'Wow' she thought, 'He's so warm and soft.'  
  
"Shhh. . . Please wait." He whispered to her. Kagome slipped her own arms around him and nodded into his chest. 'I should do this more often. . . It's a lot better than getting "sat" all the time.' He smiled when she tried to nuzzle herself deeper into his warmth. Inu-Yasha shifted her some and began to sit on the ground, leaning back on the wall behind him.  
  
Now Inu-Yasha was half sitting, half lying down against the wall; with Kagome lying next to/on top of him her arms still tightly wrapped around him.  
  
Kagome smiled up at him, her nose pick from the coldness of the room. Inu- Yasha leaned over and placed a kiss on it making her blush a little. Then loosened her grip and leaned up on him giving him a slow and passionate kiss. When they broke apart she whispered, "Good night." Before leaning her head back down and once again resting her head back on his chest.  
  
'Yep.' Inu-Yasha thought with a smug smile, 'Should defiantly do this more often.'  
  
:::The Ever Loved Authors Note:::  
  
Non-enthusiastic people in the background: Ya_ay.  
  
Me: Oh bug off.  
  
Non-enthusiastic people in the background: Ya_ay.  
  
Me: I said leave. NOW!  
  
Non-enthusiastic people in the background: Ya_ay.  
  
Me: Is that all you can say?  
  
Non-enthusiastic people in the background: Ye_ep.  
  
Me: @.@"  
  
Well, I hope everyone liked that one. Had some serious parts in it, some comedy (if that's what you like to call my lame jokes), and some fluff. Yep defiantly like this chappie.  
  
And whether you do or not REVIEW!!! The more reviews I get the fast my fingers seem to type and less likely Inu-Yasha is to die.  
  
(Mwahahahahahahahahahahagasphahahahahah) 


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